The Greenfield softball team has been one of the most dominant regular-season programs in the state over the past five seasons. Now, the Hustlin’ Hawks are looking to finally see that success translate into the playoffs.

Including their unblemished start to the season at 17-0, the Hawks boast a record of 125-29 since 2013, but Greenfield still has never won a game at the state tournament and has not made the trip to Madison since 2009.

But with a dominant pitcher in the circle and a lineup as deep and powerful as any the school has seen, this could be the year.

“We’re hoping to peak at the right time,” Hawks head coach Jack Miller said. “We have seven seniors, six of which have been on varsity since their freshman year with of them five starting. They’ve really provided a lot of experience for us and make us a pretty well-rounded group.”

Now in his 27th season as the Hawks head coach, Miller has seen his fair share of talented classes of softball players, but his current group of seniors would be tough to top.

“I pretty much knew about them when they were coming up around seventh grade,” Miller said. “I suspected I would have a lot of them on varsity as freshman. Five of the girls started then and were key contributors on a 26-2 team that year.”

Pitcher Alyssa Vilkoski was part of that group of five.

With current University of Wisconsin-Whitewater pitcher Bella Matthias then a dominant junior hurler, however, the freshman Vilkoski was featured primarily at shortstop for her first two seasons.

As Vilkoski posted a 0.71 earned run average and 93 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings as a freshman and sophomore, Miller knew that he had the heir apparent to Matthias.

“We had a Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers situation there with the team for a little bit,” he cracked. “It was lined up from that point for Alyssa. I knew there wouldn’t be too much of a drop off with them.”

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Greenfield pitcher Alyssa Vilkoski delivers a pitch during a game against New Berlin West on May 7, 2018 at Konkel Park.(Photo: Curt Hogg / Now News Group)

Even with the lofty standard set, Vilkoski’s performance merits the comparison.

Pitching in 15 games this season, Vilkoski has recorded 10 shutouts. She has struck out 157 batters in her 84 2/3 innings, allowing just four earned runs for an ERA of 0.33.

“She’s been just outstanding all year,” Miller said. “She hasn’t gotten into that many tough situations. When she has, she’s been able to work herself out of it. She’s beaten of the toughest teams in the area. She’s an experienced pitcher and has several pitches and mixes them really well.”

You don’t get to 17-0 on the strength of your pitcher alone, though.

Led by the group of swinging seniors, the Hawks run out perhaps their deepest lineup in recent memory. Each of the first five hitters in the batting order – Vilkoski, Taylor Johnson, Olivia Kelly, Regan Schultz and Hannah Ruffert -- possess an OPS over 1.000.

“That’s something I’ve never had in all my years of coaching,” Miller said.

Johnson, also Vilkoski’s battery mate behind the dish, has been an on-base machine, reaching base in each of her first 15 games this year.

Ruffert, meanwhile, led the team with a 1.369 OPS entering a huge 2-1 victory May 7 over another top area team, New Berlin West.

“We definitely have a deeper lineup one-through-nine this year than in years past,” Miller said. “It’s a key in scoring runs. We have tremendous hitters at the top of the lineup, but we’re also having success at the bottom as well.”

Greenfield knows that regular season offense hasn’t been the problem over since its last trip to the state tournament, however. It’s been scoring runs consistently throughout the playoffs.

Despite winning at a 79 percent clip over the five seasons prior to 2018, the Hawks have found themselves unable to produce enough offense at some point in every sectional tournament. In its five playoff losses in that span, three of which have been by just one run, Greenfield has scored just eight runs.

“We’ve had some trouble on offense just about every year once we get to the sectionals for a while now,” Miller said. “You’re running into tough pitchers at every stop at that point and we just haven’t been able to put up enough runs.”

Part of the issue has simply been the fickle nature of single-elimination softball. The three times Miller has coached Greenfield to state, it has not been the No. 1 seed in the sectional. Never have the Hawks been the top seed and earned a trip to state.

“Luck is a factor. I’ve coached all over a bunch of sports and there is no sport that good fortune comes into play more than softball or baseball,” Miller said.

A little bit of luck would certainly be welcome in Greenfield. But even without it, this could still be the year for the Hawks.

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